July 31, 2023 | By The Active Age
With some 6,000 ghost towns in Kansas to choose from, it’s no wonder that the makers of a 2022 documentary on the state’s faded villages and towns have now produced a second episode. “Kansas Ghost Towns, Part 2,” will air on PBS Kansas at 7 p.m. Aug. 17 and again at the same time on […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Breaking bread together symbolizes sharing and the forging of personal connections. But it was an afternoon of baking bread together that connected two natives of Kenya with members of the Bread Club of Wichita. David and Lillian Kapten, who came to the United States as college students, were the featured presenters at a recent gathering […]
| By The Active Age
The Wichita Journalism Collaborative has launched a pop-up newsroom called News Connect at the Advanced Learning Center Library. The collaborative, which includes The Active Age and 10 other media outlets and community partners, hopes News Connect will give members of the public an opportunity to interact with local journalists. In that way, they can contribute […]
| By Niki Lewis Shepherd
During these weeks of severe heat and drought when it is easy to complain and feel justified in doing so, I think of my growing-up years. They were the dry ’50s. The location, a western Kansas cattle ranch. Each day ended with a prayer for rain. My favorite game was mirage, where my siblings and […]
| By The Active Age
Local Author Day back at Advanced Library Wichita Public Library’s Local Author Day returns Saturday, Aug, 12 at the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd St. “Wichita has a vibrant writing community and this annual program helps bring their talent to the spotlight,” said Sara Dixon, adult programming manager at Wichita Public Library. “One of […]
| By Ted Blankenship
I had no idea what we were missing when Dorothy and I took a cruise down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. We were content with chef-prepared meals, visits to historical places, jazz in the streets of New Orleans and lounging on the deck of our paddle-wheel boat. We didn’t know that if we had […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Identify these items that have one of the four cardinal directions (North, South, East or West) in their title. 1. Separated by the demilitarized zone, this country’s capital is Seoul, home to almost ten million people. 2. This breed of dog hails from Scotland and is closely related to the Cairn Terrier. 3. John Steinbeck […]
| By Diana Morton
Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road, Will You Still Love Me in the Morning? by Jan Clements and Dennis Spooner. Jeremy and Celia return a week early from their unsuccessful honeymoon to find that both of Jeremy’s partners have accepted his offer to stay in his house while he is away. The only problem is […]
| By Monica Cissell
Senior centers are known for the education, wellness and recreation programming they offer adults 55 and older. But they may not be as well-known for the connections and support they provide. According to the Administration for Community Living, an agency of the federal government, community centers are a focal point for the delivery of many […]
| By Susan Armstrong
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Was it too long ago to remember? Or so significant you will never forget? I explored this question with a group of friends recently with interesting results. We all agreed “firsts” happen more frequently when we are young. It is only logical that […]
| By The Active Age
Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age will hold a drawing for a family membership each month for the next six months from among people on our “Honor Roll” list of donors. This month’s winner is Delilah Nitcher. Donations may be made […]
July 27, 2023 | By The Active Age
Beginning Monday, July 31, Wichita Municipal Court will begin requiring the use of Yondr bags in its courtrooms. According to a news release from the city, the usage of the Yondr bag technology is aimed at enhancing the safety or attendees and ensuring a distraction-free environment in Municipal Court. The bags are soft, lockable pouches […]
July 26, 2023 | By The Active Age
With the Wichita area facing high temperatures for the next week, the City of Wichita has announced some relief measures for residents in need. Beginning Wednesday, July 26, residents may ride Wichita Transit for free until the end of the day on Saturday, July 29. The air-conditioned Q-LINE currently runs Monday through Saturday from 6:15 a.m. […]
| By The Active Age
Sedgwick County Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater has changed a polling site for the Tuesday, Aug. 1 Primary Election that will affect voters in several precincts. Cedar Point Church, 9221 E. 31st St. South, will no longer be used as a polling place on Primary Election Day; instead, those voters are now assigned to Wichita Southeast High […]
July 21, 2023 | By Celia Hack/KMUW
One of Wichita’s key resources for unhoused women, Salvation Army’s emergency shelter, will close Aug. 11. The announcement comes while most of Wichita’s homeless shelters are already at capacity, said Angie Prather, vice president of marketing and chief community engagement officer for United Way of the Plains. “This decrease will strain the system,” Prather wrote in […]
July 12, 2023 | By The Active Age
The Kansas state treasury currently holds about $50 million in unclaimed money and property from Sedgwick County, and officials say they are trying to track down its owners. The state already has a website, https://unclaimedproperty.ks.gov, where residents can see if the state is holding money or other assets that belong to them. Citizens can search […]
July 5, 2023 | By The Active Age
Sedgwick County Treasurer Brandi Baily is opening a new tag and tax office that will operate two days a month from the Park City Administration Building, 1941 E. 61st St. North. On the second and third Wednesday of each month, beginning July 12, a tag/tax clerk will work on-site and serve customers by appointment only from […]
June 27, 2023 | By The Active Age
NORTH NEWTON—Sculptor Conrad Snider doesn’t mean to sound rude, but if people want to hire him to make pieces to their exact specifications, he has a customary response. “I usually tell them they need to take a ceramics class and make it for themselves,” he said. “I don’t have enough time left in my life […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Dr. Donna Sweet is known for a number of things: training hundreds of physicians as a faculty member at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, pioneering care of AIDS/HIV patients in Kansas and serving at the highest level of national medical organizations. Then there’s the leg wrestling party she hosts for medical residents each winter. “It’s a […]
| By The Active Age
Four Wichitans have emerged as leading candidates to become the city’s next mayor. In the Aug. 1 primary, incumbent Mayor Brandon Whipple will be challenged by Bryan Frye, Celeste Racette and Lily Wu. Unless one receives a majority, the top two vote-getters will face off in the November general election. Whipple is a former state […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
When it comes to dealing with droughts in garden beds, Connie Fletcher echoes the advice of Kansas planting experts and other gardeners. “You want to go more for your native plants because they’re used to the weather here,” said Fletcher, whose home in Valley Center was part of the June garden tour organized annually by […]
| By The Active Age
AARP safe driving classes Several AARP Drive Safety classes have been added to the upcoming schedule. Participants must pre-register with the locations. The dates and locations are: July 19, Mulvane Senior Center, (316) 777-4813; July 21, Clearwater Senior Center, 316) 584-2332; Aug. 10, Downtown Senior Center, (316) 267-0197; Sept. 7, Park City Senior Center, (316) […]
| By Paul Inman
Many major companies match donations their employees and retirees make to approved organizations. As a Boeing retiree, I take advantage of that company’s gift-matching program to help The Active Age and other nonprofits that I want to support. For Boeing retirees, the company matches 50 cents on the dollar donations made to approved organizations, up […]
| By Ted Blankenship
I began my four years in the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 1, 1950. I was assigned to a supply room at San Antonio’s Lackland Air Force Base. Lackland was the largest air force base in the world at the time. It trained all of the airmen who joined. Additional bases were opened later when […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Match the fictional place with the work which made it famous. The answers appear below. 1. Tara 2. Lilliput 3. Neverland 4. Hogwarts 5. Avonlea 6. The Shire 7. Pemberley 8. The Emerald City 9. Darrowby 10. King’s Landing 11. Gotham City 12. Lake Wobegon 13. Shangri-La 14. The 100 Acre Wood 15. McDougal’s Cave […]